So, 2017 wasn’t much of an improvement on 2016. In 2017, millions of people march in the Women’s Marches across the UK and the world in protest of reality TV star Donald Trump’s inauguration as the US President, a petition to stop reality TV star Donald Trump from entering the UK gains 2 million signatures, Ian Stewart is found guilty of killing his fiancee- the children’s author Helen Bailey, a terrorist attack takes place in London when a car ploughs into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge– killing 6 and injuring over 40- the driver then stabs a police officer to death, the UK invokes Article 50 which triggers the formal withdrawal from the EU, a terrorist attack takes place in Stockholm, Sweden where a lorry is driven into crowds and then crashes into a department store- 5 people die, one of which is British and 14 are injured, Ian Brady- the Moors Murderer- dies at 79- he was Britain’s longest serving prisoner, a female zookeeper is killed by tiger at a zoo in Cambridgeshire, 8 people are killed and 48 are injured in a terrorist attack when a vehicle ploughs into people on London Bridge and then subsequently the attackers stab several people to death on the street- the police shoot all 3 of the terrorists dead within 8 minutes, the UK general election takes place, but the Conservative party fail to gain enough votes for a majority win– they have to form a coalition with the DUP as a result, 1 person is killed and 10 are injured when a van deliberately rams into people outside a mosque in Finsbury, London, the Duke of Edinburgh retires from public duty at 96 years old, 15 people are killed in two terrorist attacks in Spain, Prince Harry announces his engagement to American actor Meghan Markle, the Me Too movement against sexual harassment and abuse spreads globally and results in many allegations against people especially in Hollywood (here’s my little “fuck sexual harassment” post HERE), Emmanuel Macron becomes the new French President, at least 90 people are killed in Texas as Hurricane Harvey strikes the US, in Charlottesville, Virginia, a car crashes into a crowd at an anti-racist rally and kills 1 person and injures 28 others, in Texas a gunman attacks a baptist church killing 26 people and injuring 20 others, 58 people are killed by one gunman in Las Vegas as he opens fire on a crowd of concert-goers from his hotel room.

A major fire engulfs Grenfell Tower (a 24-storey block of flats in London), which causes the deaths of 72 people and injuring 70 others. It is the worst residential fire since the Second World War. The fire was believed to have started from a faulty fridge/freezer. However, the rapid spread of the fire was caused by the exterior cladding. A new review on building regulations and fire safety has since been published.

On the 22nd May, Manchester Arena was attacked by a suicide bomber during an Ariana Grande concert. 22 people were killed and 139 were injured. More than half of the victims were children. The youngest person killed was 8 years old. Two weeks later, Ariana Grande returned to Manchester (and a day after the London Bridge terrorist attack) for the One Love Manchester concert in honour of the victims of the attack and to raise funds for the injured and the bereaved. It was attended by over 50,000 people and watched by over 22 million in the UK and across 38 different countries around the world. Shortly afterwards, in a unanimous vote by councillors, Ariana Grande was made an honorary citizen of Manchester city.

The films Dunkirk, Get Out, Wonder Woman, Baby Driver, Call Me By Your Name, Ladybird, Lion, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, IT, Beauty and the Beast and T2 Trainspotting are all released and I turn a mere 41 years old.

Have we really reached the end?! Phewee- 42 posts later and here we are in 2017. So, here’s the top ten tunes from 2017 and it’s probably one of the least commercial playlists, I’ve done. Thank you so much for sticking with me through this journey. Next week, I’ll be doing a little review of these Top Ten Tunes post where I’ll provide a bumper playlist plus they’ll be a little announcement…

1. Green Light by Lorde

2. Don’t Kill My Vibe by Sigrid

3. Tomorrow by Anni

4. Everything Now by Arcade Fire

5. 1998 by the Dears

6. Issues by Julia Michaels

7. Fior Di Latte by Phoenix

8. Dear Life by Beck

9. New York by St. Vincent

10. Fireworks by First Aid Kit

Special bonus as it’s the last week: Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Ariana Grande

At the end of last year, I said that my favourite song from 2017 was St.Vincent HERE, but almost a year on, I would now say it’s Julia Michaels. Which one is your favourite?

I know. I sobbed through her performance of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It still brings a tear now. Oh yes it was a very good year for film, wasn’t it? Ah now, you might want to tune in to next week’s announcement….

I like the Julia Michaels track best too. But wow, seeing all the 2017 stuff in one place made me want to bury my head in a huge vat of chocolate chips and eat until I feel better or go unconscious from sugar shock. Could it be that we are entering a truly worse era? I try and console myself that every generation has its tyrants and its violence. Perhaps the recency of these events makes them seem even more terrible. But, it does worry me (as it should).

I’m looking forward to your announcement. 🙂

What an accomplishment–42 posts and 42 playlists. (That sounds like the title to a movie I’d like to see.)

It does feel like we’re entering a worse era, but having researched these news items and events every year since 1976- I feel the world has always been pretty terrible (not all of it of course), but I think the age that we are and being parents and these events being so recent it does feel like things are getting worse. Weirdly, I remember an interview with Barry White of all people back in 1997 and I think some terrible things had been happening in the world and the interviewer asked him “Are things going to get better, Barry?” and I really clearly remember him replying “They will, but it will get worse before it gets better”. Maybe we’re still going through the “getting worse” bit. I don’t know why those words of wisdom stuck with me, but they did! Let’s just comfort ourselves that it will get better. Like giving birth- it’s pretty terrible towards the end and then suddenly everything is beautiful.

I love that point. So true. I had a boss who told me the only way for things to change sometimes is to allow them to get bad enough that a quorum of people kind of hits rock bottom with the state of things. And then–the phoenix can rise. It does seem sad that we can’t be better than that. But, I like how you ended this. . . “suddenly everything is beautiful “seems as much a state of mind as something that must be an actual fact.

No of the above though plenty to like!! It’s a strange choice for me as it from Harry Styles who barely registers on my radar. But fell for the song on first hearing..and the voice..hope you’ll still talk to me after this.